Sentinel lymph node biopsy in early-stage breast cancer patients: improved survival through better staging?

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The objective of this review is to summarize the evidence demonstrating that the sentinel lymph node (SLN) procedure is not only associated with significantly less morbidity compared to the axillary dissection, but may also result in better staging and improved patient outcomes. METHODS: A search of MedLine and PubMed articles using the terms "sentinel lymph node biopsy", "breast cancer", "staging", "morbidity", "survival", and "outcomes" was conducted. RESULTS: Breast cancer staging includes axillary evaluation as an integral component. Over the past two decades, sentinel lymph node biopsy has evolved as a technique that has an improved morbidity over traditional axillary dissection. The sentinel node(s) undergo a more intensive pathologic examination than traditional axillary contents. In the node-negative group of patients, this may have led to stage migration and potentially improved disease-free and overall survival. CONCLUSION: The SLN procedure is not only associated with significantly less morbidity compared to the axillary lymph node dissection, it may also result in more accurate staging, better axillary tumor control and improved survival.